Cigarette extinguisher



Oct. 6, 1959 w. R, BELL ET AL 2,907,333

CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Filed June 5, 1958 IN VENTORS Wallace R. Bell Clarence C. Bell M Unlted States Patent ice 1 07,333 7 Patented Oct. 6, 19 59 within but which is permitted to bleed slowly through a bleed port. It is thus possible to set the cylinder to return the plunger to the completely retracted position 2 07 33 through any predetermined period of time. For the purpose of the present invention, a return period of time of CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER twenty-five seconds has been found to be suitable since Wallace R. Bell and Clarence C. Bell, Pedro Valley, Calif.

Application June s, 1958, SerialNo. 740,028

4 Claims. (Cl. 131-256) This invention relates to automobiles and, more particularly, to an accessory therefor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a completely automatic cigarette extinguisher for automotive vehicles that will completely and safely extinguish cigarettes placed therein substantially without distracting the driver or requiring his attention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette extinguisher of the above type that extinguishes cigarettes in a safe and efficient manner by cutting oil? the supply of oxygen thereto for a predetermined period of time before the cigarette is discharged into the ash receiver of the vehicle.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a cigarette extinguisher bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efficient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an automobile dashboard embodying the cigarette extinguisher made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view of the cigarette extinguisher shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view showing certain parts of the apparatus shown in Figure 3 in an adjusted position; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of certain parts of the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a cigarette extinguisher made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a funnel shaped duct 12 that is mounted within an opening 11 in the top 13 of a vehicle dashboard, with the bottom thereof directly above the ash receiver 15 ordinarily provided therein. A rod 16 is supported upon brackets 17 beneath the dashboard in a position that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the duct 12. An arm 19 is rotatably supported upon the rod 16 and guided for reciprocating movement thereon by means of a guide plate 22. A torsion spring 21 encircling the rod 16 normally urges the arm 19 toward a centered rest position directly beneath the lower smaller end of the duct 12. A central circular plate integral with the central portion of the arm 19 completely seals the lower open end of the duct 12 when the arm 19 is in its normal, centered position.

A hydraulically damped spring action cylinder 23 and reciprocating plunger 25 is secured to another portion of the dashboard on a diametrically opposite side of the duct 12 from the support rod 16. This cylinder and plunger assembly is of a conventional type in which a spring tends to return the plunger from an extended position to a completely retracted position, but which spring action is damped by a hydraulic fluid contained therethe cigarette will normally become extinguishedin approximately twenty seconds.

An arm 28 extends radially outwardly. from one side of the plunger 25 and has a finger 29 pivotally supported upon the outer end thereof for. movement between a nor mal axially aligned position and an adjusted angular position by means of a hinge 30. A spring 32 acts against the finger 29 and tends to yieldably resist movement thereof out of the normal axially aligned position. In such aligned position, the finger 29 is movable into abutment with an upwardly extending lug 34 carried at the outer free end of the arm 19. Thus, as the plunger is returned from an extended to a retracted position by means of the hydraulic cylinder 23, the finger 29 will abut against the lug 34, as shown in Figure 4, to efiect pivotal movement of the arm 19 and the plate 20 out of closing engagement with the bottom of the funnel shaped duct 12.

In actual use, the parts are mounted upon the vehicle dashboard in the manner shown in the drawing. In the normal position, the plate 20 is disposed directly beneath the lower open end of the duct 12 so that all air to the interior of the duct through the bottom thereof is shut off. Thus, by dropping a cigarette into the open upper end of the duct, the air supply to the cigarette will be cut off, so that it will eventually be extinguished. As soon as the cigarette is placed within the funnel shaped duct, the knob 26 secured to the outer end of the plunger 25 and which is accessible from the front side of the dashboard, is pulled outwardly. During this outward movement, the finger 29 Will bypass the lug 34 because of the yieldable hinge connection, as shown in Figure 5. After the plunger has been fully extended, a release of pressure thereon will enable the spring within the cylinder 23 to commence the return thereof toward the normal retracted position. By setting the time of the cylinder 23, the movement of the plunger can be so controlled that the finger 29 will not engage the lug 34 during the return movement until approximately twenty seconds have elapsed. After the lapse of such time, the finger 29 will abut with the lug 34, as shown in Figure 4, to move the plate 20 out of closing engagement beneath the duct 12, to permit the extinguished cigarette to drop downwardly through the lower end of the duct and into the ash receiver 15, after which the device returns to the position shown in Figure 3, completely automatically and without further attention by the occupant of the vehicle. Thus, the unit becomes automatically available for use immediately following the extinguishing of the prior cigarette, the only manual manipulation having been required was that of pulling the knob 26 of the plunger 25 outwardly.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cigarette extinguisher comprising, in combination, a funnel shaped duct having an opening in the smaller end of slightly larger diameter than a cigarette for slidably directing cigarettes therethrough, a closure plate pivotally supported beneath said smaller end of said duct for reciprocating movement within a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said duct, means yieldably moving said plate toward closing engagement with said smaller end of said duct, and means for retracting said plate out of closing engagement with said duct comprising a hydraulic cylinder having a plunger supported for reciprocating longitudinal movement Within a plane parallel to said plane of movement of said closure plate.

2. The combination according to claim 1', further comprising an arm assembly extending radially outwardly from said plunger for abutment with :1 lug carried by' said closure plate to effect said pivotal movement thereof during movement of said plunger.

3; The combination according to claim 2', wherein saidarm assembly includes a fixed arm, a finger pivotally supported upon the outer end of. said fixed arm for movement between a normal position in alignment with said fixed arm in the path of said lug foreffecting movement of said plate during movement of said plunger in one direction and an adjusted angular position for bypassing said lug during movement of said plunger in an opposite direction.

4. The combination according to claim 3, further comprising a spring yieldably resisting movement of said finger toward said adjusted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,637,172 Burress July 26, 1-927 2,495,496 Agee Jan. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 602,712 Great Britain June 1, 1948 

